Deciding on a time to go to Disney may depend on many different factors such as your family preferences, your home life or work schedule. Other times it is dictated by the events being offered in and around the world that you and your family would like to enjoy. It also could depend on pricing and the best deals possible. Whatever the reason being, here are some helpful hints when deciding on a time of year to go.
Disclaimer
There is no such thing as a “dead” time of the year any more at Disney World. If you are expecting to go to the parks and be treated like royalty because there is no one else there you are sorely mistaken. Disney World is one of the top rated vacation destination in the World. There will always be a decent crowd level at the parks; what you want to do is try and avoid them. What you have to take into consideration is the amount of people going, how long the parks are open, what other events are offered to everyone at the World, etc. etc.
Understanding Disney’s Seasons
Seasons consist of Value, Peak, Holiday, and Regular. How Disney classifies the “season” depends on crowd levels, closures, weather and the price of your hotel and ticket stay. Honestly, I would not concentrate too much time and energy on Disney’s seasons while planning your trip. The majority of the time your trip will fall into the regular season or Peak season as the value season tends to only fall into a few weeks in January or February.
If you are really curious, you can check out the site Your First Visit.
January-Beginning of March
You will find the lowest crowd levels and sometimes the best hotel deals this month.
- LOW LOW LOW crowds (Aside from the first week when a lot of kids are still on Christmas vacation and people want to celebrate New Years in the Parks)
- Cooler temperatures so if you are looking for pool time, shorts and water parks, try again! You will be wearing jeans, coats, and sweatshirts during the day. And don’t be surprised to break out the mittens and hats, too if a cold snap is around
- More ride closures. With cooler temperatures and low crowd levels there will be more rides being rehabed to prepare for the upcoming peak seasons.
- WDW Marathons in January and February bring in larger crowds from Friday-Monday
- Lowest hotel room prices (aside from New Years Eve.) in January
- Holidays to keep in mind:
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Valentines Day
Mid-March-June
- Average crowd levels (5 out of 10)
- Flower and Garden show starts and runs to June. The weekends at EPCOT will be extra crowded for those who live in the are and want to enjoy the expos and demonstrations
- Pop warner Cheering and Football
- Longer park hours. Instead of 7 or 8 oclock closing you are looking more at 9-11 p.m. due to more people planning on visiting the park
- School vacation times
- April vacation for grade schools
- March is spring break for colleges
- Warmer temperatures. Mid 80’s and LOTS of sun as the rainy season begins to wind down. June becomes HOT-think upper 80’s and 90’s with a cloud of humidity over head and a big bright sun shining down on you
July-August
- Highest crowd levels due to kids being on vacations (think 8-9 out of 10)
- Not a lot of special events because there is no need to bring in more people since it is the busiest time to go.
- No holidays besides fourth of July so avoid the parks that day at all costs. The fireworks and pomp and circumstance is wonderful but only if you love crowds as much as you love America
- Average hotel costs with historical deals (free dining, percentage off)
- Most park hours and EMH to handle the increased crowds
- Few to no ride closures or rehabs going on (unless they are an ongoing expansion such as in Animal KIngdom or Star Wars land at Hollywood Studios)
- HOT HOT HOT. Were talking 90+ temperatures with humidity to match.
- With longer park times you are able to leave half way through the day and return later when the temps drop for more fun
- Daily thunderstorms to keep an eye out for. Usually strike in the mid-late afternoon and clear up by the evening
September-Mid November
- Below average crowds as the fall months go on (4-6 out of 10)
- Numerous special events
- Food and Wine Festival (September-October)
- Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (September-October)
- Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (November month)
- Marathons
- Parks may close slightly earlier due to lower crowd levels
- September temperatures are still very hot and humid as it is during the summer months, But October-November the temperatures start to fall
- Prime hurricane season. While Disney World is centrally located and less likely to get a direct hit, it does not mean they are immune. It is not too often something like this does occur, but it
End of November-December
- Christmas Time in Disney. So if you LOVE Christmas this is the time to go. If you are a little bit more bah-humbuggy then skip it because it is literally wall to wall lights, wreaths, trees, music and all the noise, noise, noise, noise! (See what I did there?!)
- Large crowds over the week of Thanksgiving, but dramatically drop off the first week of December until Christmas-New Years. Christmas – New Years is
- Cooler temperatures but still pleasant. Think very varying clothing options. You may be wearing pants in the morning, shorts and t shirt in the afternoon and then a coat and hat at night. This is when “cold snaps” tend to start coming in. Your vacation may be hot and humid and then the next week it drops to the 50s.
- Marathon weekends in November and December
Helpful Hints
To see my criteria for choosing the best times to visit Disney World, check out my link here!
Something to keep in mind
Disney World is not going anywhere any time soon. Don’t think you need to plan a trip to see everything in one trip because you can’t. There is always something new being offered to you and your family that will keep them entertained and thrilled. While you may not be able to come back for a while, just know your family’s needs will change the next time you come back, but that is OK, because I am sure there is something they will like!
Another thing to keep in mind, yes, I know it is expensive and it is no matter what time of year you plan on going. But, guess what, this is a vacation! So vacate that mind set about clipping coupons, bringing your own lunches to work or buying the cheapest box of cereal on the shelf. Be willing to spend some money on a wonderful trip that your kids and you will remember fondly. No one remembers the time they almost bought that amazing ice cream cone from Casey’s Corner or the imaginary light saber you would of liked to have bought, but it was too expensive. This is the reason you work so hard all those hours during the year, and clip those coupons to save $.50 on shampoo, and eat in when all you want is a juicy steak from your favorite local restaurant.
So, have fun planning an amazing trip, and try to find the best deal you can. If you can’t Disney offers a great vacation budget estimator!
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